Yordanos Mehari’s parents met more than 21 years ago, amid civil unrest. A bloody civil war between two rival factions in Ethiopia ultimately yielded the creation of another country – Eritrea. Mehari’s father is Eritrean and her mother is Ethiopian. Even though the two lost family members to the war, their bond was strong enough to result in a marriage and the birth of a child.

Mehari says that any that animosity that exists between Eritreans and Ethiopians isn’t inherent.

“It’s all because of the government,” she says.

From 1961 to 1991, the two countries fought a war that stemmed from the Eritrean government’s desire to gain independence from Ethiopia. Conflict between the two nations flared up again in 1998, due to a border dispute that ended in 2000.

In 2009, the U Street corridor has the highest concentration of Ethiopian immigrants in the United States, earning it the nickname “Little Ethiopia.” While many Ethiopian establishments thrive on the corridor, a number of Eritrean businesses have staked a claim on the area also.

Some may think that the two groups, living and working in such close proximity would be a recipe for disaster. But despite the long, bloody history between the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities, members of both groups who work and congregate on U Street say that no hard feelings persist.

“I’ve been here since the early ’70s, so the political situation at home was not favorable to anybody,” said Esete Demissie, owner of Almaz Restaurant on U Street.

An Ethiopian immigrant, has and her cousin have owned the restaurant for two years, and has lived in the United States for more than 20 years.

“I don’t know why the military government are fighting the Eritreans and I don’t know why the Eritreans are fighting the Ethiopians … it is politics,” Demissie said.

While she conceded that some people in both groups still hold bitter attitudes towards one another, many see past nationality.

“Growing up, I had a lot of Eritrean friends in school. They came to my house, and I went to their house,” Demissie said.

The whole congregation stands at St. Francis of Assisi church to watch as Father John Heffernan baptizes a young girl, probably no older than 2. She is clad in an all-white dress with ruffles down the front. Her dad holds her in his arms as Father Heffernan dips a shallow bowl into a basin of water and gently pours it over the girl’s head.

In the name of Father. In the name of the Son. In the name of the Holy Spirit.

This baptism marked a joyous occasion for the more than 200 Spanish-speaking parishioners at St. Francis in Woodbridge, Va. But for others in Prince William County, this scene represents a stark change in the community’s identity.

When Noor Tagouri’s parents told her she would be transferring to a religious high school in College Park, Md., she was expectedly reluctant. She would be leaving behind her friends, her home and public school in the close-knit confines of La Plata, Md. The southern Maryland town of about 6,500 people was the only home Tagouri had ever known after moving there from Alabama as a two-year-old.

Her parents decided to relocate to Bowie, Md., a prominent suburb of College Park – not because of a change in jobs or a desire to start over, but because they wanted their four children to attend the Al-Huda school, one of the only all-Muslim educational institutes in the state.

U Street is a vibrant neighborhood north of downtown D.C. that was once nearly burned to the ground during the 1968 riots that followed Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. The arrival of a Metro Stop and neighborhood revitalization efforts at the end of the millennium has gentrified U Street, and also revitalized its historic role as a hub for jazz and the arts. In addition, Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants have opened businesses and settled in the neighborhood, and a section of it is now known as “Little Ethiopia.”

Manassas, Virginia is located outside the Beltway, just a little more than 30 miles from Washington, D.C. In the last 20 years, the population of the city and the surrounding area of Prince William County has boomed as this once semi-rural community has become absorbed into the sprawl of Northern Virginia. According to recent census data, Prince William County is the third largest county in Virginia with an estimated population of 391,621 as of March 2009. Along with the population growth, the demographics of the community have also changed dramatically, fueled by a rush of immigration, both legal and illegal. In 1990, 4.5 percent of the county identified as Hispanic. That number more than quadrupled to 19.1 percent in 2006.

In the mid ‘90s, many residents were shocked and discouraged by a series of hate crimes. A business owned by Koreans was burned and a Jewish family had a swastika seared into their lawn. These events, coupled with the changing community profile, prompted some church members to organize a series of community meetings meant to allow residents to share their own stories and respond to the issues of intolerance and racism. These meetings grew into a community-wide event called “Celebrating Diversity” held at a local high school. The program drew 600 people that day to hear speakers trained by the Anti-Defamation League, discuss to issues in break-out groups and view the documentary film, “Not in our Town.”

The national nonprofit Not in Our Town again became involved in the Prince William County community after a Mexican day laborer, Serafin Negrete, was murdered in September 2006. NIOT produced a four-minute film that focused on the hardships and racism faced by immigrants in Prince William County. It also highlighted the efforts of Unity in the Community, a faith-based group of concerned citizens trying to promote tolerance and love.

Today, the conversation about diversity is ongoing as the community continues to struggle to embrace its changing identity.

Dar-us-Salaam is a developing Muslim community in College Park, Md. In 1995 an Islamic school was started with 26 students, which grew into a Muslim American community organization and neighborhood. The school has developed into a multi-grade institution with over 500 students. The community itself is unique because of its dedication to religious teachings and the migration of its residents to the area as a result of the school. In addition to the school the community now involves includes a grocery store, a medical clinic, a karate institute, and a center for Islamic resources. Dar-us-Salaam translates to “community of peace” and tries to incorporate teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah into everyday life.

“We try to keep a little bit of everything,” said manager Rizwan Khan.

Halal food is permissible to eat by Islamic standards, and halal meat has to be slaughtered in a specific way.

The animal must be in good health, according to Khan, and must be calm and no other animal can be present. It must be killed by one stroke of a sharp knife while invoking the name of God. Then the blood is drained.

Pork is forbidden under halal rules, but the store sells bacon and other traditionally pork products made from beef and turkey. Also, seafood is considered halal, with nospecial slaughter provisions.

The store also sells black seed products, hailed as a source of amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, oil and fiber. Black seed comes from the Nigella sativa plant and is found in few stores besides halal and Middle Eastern shops.

Black seed, also known as “blessing seed”, is popular because it is mentioned in the hadith, of word of the Prophet Muhammad. Employee Mukhtar Sheikh said that many non-Muslims come to the store to buy black seed products.

Dar-us-Salaam used to have a separate kitchen, but a fire rendered it unuseable in May 2008.

The store previously sold only African food (under the same name) before the community took over it.

Khan said there are plans to expand the store into the space next door so it could offer a wide range of cuisine, especially because of the multicultural makeup of the community.

The Islamic garments for men that are sold include the kufi (hat) and the taub, a style of long gown worn by the prophet. Muslim men should cover their body from their belly button to their knees, at the minimum.

“Men cannot have tight clothing, except when we’re staying in the house,” said Sheikh.

Women can purchase clothing such as the hijab (head scarf) and jilbab (long dress). They are supposed to cover almost their entire body except their hands and some choose to cover most of their faces.

The store also carries textbooks for Al-Huda School.

“It brings traffic when students come to pick up books,” Sheikh said.

During the holy month of Ramadan, most of the faithful do not eat or drink anything during daylight hours. The store is still open, however, so people can buy their fast-ending dinners.

Muslims traditionally break their fasts with dates or water. The store carries many varieties of dates.

Because marshmallows and jelly beans typically contain pork products, the store carries those items made from fish and beef gelatin.

For the holiday Eid al-Adha, people can sacrifice livestock by doing it themselves or ordering from a butcher. The meat is given to them for personal consumption or donation.

The store also sells perfume, as well as holy water from the Zam Zam spring in Mecca, where pilgrims visit on the Hajj. Known since the time of Abraham, the source was lost until Muhammad’s grandfather had a dream and rediscovered it.

Neatly organized stacks of 10 different magazines sit on a table. A few children’s toys lay on the floor near an empty water cooler. A large TV is mounted to the wall displays health-promotion advertisements for products like fiber cereals.

The office nurses and multiple receptionists talk to patients about their insurance and appointment scheduling. About half a dozen patients sit in the waiting room, reading the magazines, browsing their phones or talking with family members.

At first glance, there is nothing different between this doctor’s office and most others across the United States.

But a closer look reveals that the mothers in the waiting room of the Dar-us-Salaam (DUS) Family Medical Practice are speaking Arabic to their children. And all the women that work at DUS Family Practice wear beautifully designed, colorful hijabs, or Muslim head coverings, for women.
In the corner of the waiting room, there is an “Islamic etiquette” poster about visiting the sick. Above the seating area of the doctor’s office, a black, white, and yellow Arabic painting hangs on the wall. The TV alternates heath promotion ads with a quote of the prophet Mohammed every so often.

The DUS Family Medical Practice, located in Greenbelt, Md., began in January 2005. The medical practice is one component of the Dar-us-Salaam community. The community is “a model Islamic community based upon and adhering to the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah,” according to its Web site. The DUS Family Practice is an integral part of the Islamic community that has been created in the southern part of Maryland, close to Washington, D.C.

Dr. Naseem Sharieff, director of the DUS Medical Center underscored the idea that Dar-us-Salaam is creating and follows their strong ideals.

We “are trying to create a community through a model community to show people that things can be done in a humanitarian grounds,” Sharieff said in a phone interview. “Together we can make it a very good, strong community,”

Sharieff said the foundations for the the medical practice are based on Islamic principles that focus on helping others and taking care of one’s neighbors. This is based on the principle that every Muslim must give 2.5 percent of their income to the community to help build and sustain the entire community, Sharieff said.

Muslims donate a portion of their income, she said, to help those truly in need, those who do not have “insurance or a home,” or those who may have any type of crisis whether it is physical, emotional, or material.

“DUS has let us build a community where each one is worried about others and not just being selfish. When you live your life as an individual, you must do for the community, you do not have an option,” Sharieff said.

The DUS practice prides itself on being a doctor’s office that is willing and able to help any patient.

“It is care of a person in totality, not just their physical health,” Sharieff said in a phone interview.

On a recent weekday, Amistin Perrera and her 13-year-old daughter, Solara Jaafar, sat in the waiting room of DUS. Perrera spoke to Jaafar in Arabic while Jaafar looked down at her shoes, responding in English. Perrera was dressed in head-to-toe Muslim garb in neutral browns while her daughter donned jeans, Ugg boots and a fitted sweater. The two very different women awaited Dr. Sharieff’s arrival.

Perrera and Jafaar are long time patients of Dr. Sharieff and the DUS Family Medical Practice. Perrera and Jaafar have come to DUS for almost five years and have always enjoyed the atmosphere created by the doctors and employees of the office.

“All of the doctors are nice, Perrera said. “They understand how to talk to the people. Some of the doctors I talk to, they don’t know how to talk to people. That’s why I like it here.”

After Dr. Sharieff arrived, Jaafar and Perrera walked to the back of the office with her and sat in Sharieff’s office, covered in papers and lined with bookshelves. Jaafar, who had the appointment with Sharieff, shifted in her seat but seemed comfortable interacting with her mother and her longtime doctor.

“It has been a good experience (coming to DUS) and they always help,” Jaafar said.

As a part of the Islamic principle of charity, the DUS Family Medical Practice, never turns away a patient if they cannot afford the services or if they do not have insurance to cover the costs. Sharieff said that the clinic is not free. It is a business clinic that takes insurance but will accommodate a patient who does not have insurance.

“They see people not money,” Perrera said.

Over the past five years, the clinic has evolved from one doctor to a multi-specialty office with six physicians. The office offers pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiology, and a social services department.

The office, although small in square footage, sees 7,000 patients, according to Sharieff. The patient population has grown through word of mouth and without any type of marketing, she said.

“People come and they feel the warmth, they transfer from one doctor to us,” Sharieff said.

DUS medical practice focuses on a more holistic type of medicine. They prescribe medications when needed but also turn to more natural types of medicines. According to their Web site, the clinic tries to go beyond physical and psychological needs. Sharieff said every doctor in the DUS practice stops to talk to patients and understand their health problems and concerns before writing a prescription.

“A lot of stress of life is too much, this is deeper than a normal doctor would talk about,” Sharieff said. “We really want to help all the people in totality, rewind them, put they’re thoughts together…it’s more naturalistic medicine.”

Jenny Adams, the outreach coordinator of DUS, appreciates the time and effort the doctors of DUS take with their patients.

The DUS medical center was originally created to help employees of the community, but it has also become a clinic that Muslim women in particular feel comfortable visiting. Sharieff explained that while in a medical setting Muslim men and women are comfortable touching, Muslim women are typically more comfortable with female doctors.

Adams said she feels comfortable in the DUS office because they understand her religious practices as a Muslim woman.

“The staff understands and respects my needs. I know that my doctor will be female, no need to ask,” Adams said. “I know that I won’t have any embarrassing surprises with a male nurse unexpectedly walking in, or passing by, when my hijab isn’t arranged.”

Adams, like many other patients of the Dar-us-Salaam Family Medical Practice, believes the practice is an asset to the community as a whole.

“Practical, natural healthcare advice is given along with medicines for acute needs,” she said in an e-mail. “In addition, my doctor takes the time to talk with me, adopting a holistic approach to one’s well being.”